Chapter 47 Thoughts
Xiangbei and Tao Nanfeng returned to Xiufengshan Farm.
The construction of the tea oil mill began immediately. Tao Nanfeng asked for the equipment dimensions from the provincial machinery factory and built a small single-story factory building according to the design institute's advice. It was easy and simple.
Somewhat similar to the layout of a primary school, the tea oil workshop is also in the shape of an “A” character and is divided into three parts: factory preparation workshop, factory production space and finished product workshop.
The preparation workshop is responsible for purchasing and storing tea seeds, changing clothes for workers, and disinfection. The production workshop is responsible for the three processes of oil pressing, bottling, and packaging. The finished product workshop consists of two parts: the display area and the tea room.
Although it is just a small tea oil mill, the architectural design shows a clear and concise process flow, which makes every worker inside extremely satisfied.
"It's a one-stop service from purchasing to oil pressing to production. It's great."
"In the future, we will press the oil ourselves and no longer have to send it to Quping Town, which also saves transportation costs."
“I heard that the tea oil that’s squeezed out is distributed to the farm workers? That’s a great benefit!”
When the equipment from the provincial machinery factory was towed back by a large truck and installed in place, the whole farm cheered. On the day the tea oil mill opened, the workers celebrated by beating gongs and drums.
Wan Shengli, the director of the tea oil factory in Quping Town, turned green with anger.
The buyer came to report: "Director, we haven't completed our tea seed purchase task this year. We are short of 6,000 kilograms of tea seeds!"
Wan Shengli slammed the table and cursed: "You bastard, Xiangbei actually opened his own oil mill and purchased tea oil seeds privately. I'm going to report him!"
Unfortunately, Xiangbei's tea oil mill had all the necessary procedures and everything was legal. Wan Shengli spat out a mouthful of blood and regretted it so much that his intestines turned green.
When Xiufengshan Farm sent a truckload of tea oil seeds over, it was only 1 cent per pound. Why did you have to bargain for it? Why did you go wrong in the first place? Why did you have to go against Xiangbei?
Who is Xiangbei? He is a sinister master who can send Jiao Liang and Luo Xuan to prison! On the surface, they don't fight for fame or fortune, but when they really start fighting, they are as powerful as thunder.
The tea oil factory in Quping Town refused to accept his tea oil seeds, and he said nothing. It seemed as if he had given in. However, he turned around and opened his own tea oil mill. He also raised the purchase price of tea oil seeds to 1.1 cents. The tea oil fruits picked by the nearby villagers were all sent to him, and he did a really good job.
I heard that the first batch of tea oil was produced, and it was clear and fragrant. Each employee could receive two kilograms of it every month with a ticket, and they were all happy as if it were New Year's Day. Every family starts frying fried cakes, fried dough sticks, and fried tofu. When you walk into the staff dormitory area, you can smell the aroma of tea oil in the air. What a day!
So enviable...
January 1976.
Tao Nanfeng was called to the director's office by Xiangbei, who handed her a registered letter from Jia Wei from the provincial capital's design institute.
Open the letter and an invitation will fall out.
"Dear Comrade Tao Nanfeng from the Infrastructure Department of Xiufengshan Farm, thank you for your contribution to the construction of mountain buildings. We now invite you to attend the academic seminar on mountain construction held at the provincial capital guesthouse on January 16-17."
Seeing the invitation, Tao Nanfeng smiled and said to Xiangbei, "It seems that I have become famous overnight at the provincial steel plant. I, a high school graduate, am fortunate enough to attend an academic seminar of this level."
Thinking of how Tao Nanfeng only used three brick columns to support the leaning workers' dormitory building, Xiangbei gave her a thumbs up and made a rare joke: "You, the famous Tao Sanchui on the farm, heard that the provincial capital steel plant changed your nickname."
Tao Nanfeng raised his eyebrows curiously: "Changed your nickname? How come I didn't know?"
Xiangbei laughed: "Miao Jing wrote that you are now called Tao Sanzhu by the people in the steel plant."
Hearing this new nickname, Tao Nanfeng burst out laughing. What the hell? The south wind understands my wish and blows my dream to Xizhou. Her parents gave her such a poetic name, but it just happened to be associated with the number "three".
Tao Three Hammers and Tao Three Pillars. Will there be Tao Three Beams and Tao Three Steel Bars in the future?
The more he thought about it, the happier he became. The corners of Tao Nanfeng's mouth curled up, and his cold eyebrows suddenly became lively.
Xiangbei looked at her quietly and smiled. His heart felt so soft, as if the sun was shining into his heart, making it warm.
Along the way, Xiangbei became more and more familiar with Tao Nanfeng, and his love for her grew stronger, but Xiangbei always tried hard to restrain himself and not let his emotions reveal even a little bit.
Tao Nanfeng is educated, has ideals and a spirit of hard work. Her future will definitely not be confined to Xiufengshan Farm. This girl will have a bright future, and Xiangbei is unwilling to hold her back by force in the name of love.
Xiangbei asked: "Are you going to this academic seminar?"
Tao Nanfeng looked at him and said, "Can I go? The Infrastructure Department doesn't have much to do recently."
Xiangbei thought for a moment and said, "The farm primary school will have winter vacation soon. Let Xiao Aiyun go with you. There is nothing to do on the farm in winter. You two can just treat it as a business trip and go back to Jiangcheng for the New Year."
Tao Nanfeng was overjoyed: "Really?!" Can I go home for the New Year again? The farm treatment is great!
Xiangbei deliberately put on a stern face: "Going to the provincial capital is considered an official business trip, and travel expenses, food and lodging are all reimbursed. Going from the provincial capital to Jiangcheng is considered a family visit, and only travel expenses are reimbursed."
Hearing Xiangbei's detailed account with him, Tao Nanfeng was relieved and laughed: "No problem, it's just business as usual. This is what we should do."
Xiangbei took out an envelope from the drawer and pushed it in front of Tao Nanfeng: "I'll give you the year-end bonus in advance. Everyone on the farm will get one this year. Just keep it to yourself."
Tao Nanfeng looked at the thick kraft paper envelope and was a little curious. He took the envelope and looked inside. His pupils suddenly shrank - so many?
They were all Big Unity tickets that cost ten yuan each, and I estimated there were fifty or sixty of them!
Xiangbei shook his head slightly, signaling her not to ask too much. "The phosphate mine is being mined smoothly, and the farm's profits are growing day by day. Don't worry, all the money is in the account. In the future, the welfare benefits of our farm will be better than those of the provincial capital's steel mill."
After Tao Nanfeng was reassured, Xiangbei took out two more oil coupons and handed them to her: "Do you want to take some tea oil home? If you find it inconvenient to carry, just choose the small plastic bottle that holds one pound."
Tao Nanfeng happily took the oil ticket and said, "Okay, my father wrote to me and said that he is now learning how to cook. The tea oil from our farm is of good quality. I will take it home."
Xiangbei took out a brown cloth bag from under the table and said, "This is a pair of cotton shoes that my mother made when she had nothing to do. You can put them on when you go out to stay at the guesthouse. You will walk a lot when you go out and your feet will be tired."
Tao Nanfeng was about to reach out to take it, but suddenly realized what was happening and asked with a little confusion: "Why did your mother make shoes for me?"
Xiangbei coughed and lowered his head, not daring to meet her eyes: "My mother is very skillful and loves making shoes. She heard about your story and was very happy and admired you, so she asked me to give it to you. I hope you like it."
Tao Nanfeng has always been respectful to his elders. When he heard Xiangbei say that his mother liked him and took the initiative to send him shoes, he immediately took the shoes respectfully and said, "Thank my aunt for me. I will definitely bring her a gift when I return from Jiangcheng."
Xiangbei waved his hand, his eyes full of smiles: "It's okay, try these shoes to see if they fit you, and send them back to me if they need to be altered."
Tao Nanfeng went to the provincial capital with Xiangbei this time, feeling very safe. Xiangbei looked majestic and fierce, and no one dared to approach him. Although he doesn't talk much, he will take the initiative to help her carry her bag, buy tickets, reserve seats, and book rooms, arranging everything neatly.
When two people who don't like to talk get together, there's surprisingly no dull moment.
Xiangbei would take the initiative to talk about his childhood memories, about a small family in the countryside with a simple and harmonious population. My father is honest and my mother is gentle. They grow several acres of rice and a bed of tobacco in the vegetable field. My father would sit under the eaves and smoke his pipe when he was free, and my mother would be busy doing housework every day. Xiangbei and his friends would gather together to catch cicadas, beetles, and fish...
Tao Nanfeng was very envious after hearing this.
She was a city girl, how could she have heard of such wild fun in the countryside? One spoke vividly and the other listened with great interest, and the two quickly became familiar with each other.
Xiangbei was the manager, and he was serious and taciturn. Tao Nanfeng looked up to him, but after listening to his childhood stories, he put away his respect.
——Oh, it turns out that the war hero was once a naughty country kid.
Tao Nanfeng is a talkative person because he lacks self-confidence due to being suppressed by his stepmother and stepsister. In addition, he is unfamiliar with the farm environment and does not dare to express his opinions freely, so he appears to be relatively silent.
Xiang Bei speaks little because he rose step by step in the army from a small soldier to the company commander of a sharp knife company. The disciplined style of being decisive and strict in enforcing orders was ingrained in his bones. He used the fewest words to express the most precise orders, and gradually condensed his current style.
Therefore, when these two people get together, there is a strange harmony.
In front of Xiangbei, Tao Nanfeng felt safe and was willing to show his true self;
In front of Tao Nanfeng, Xiangbei could see her past restraint and was willing to slow down the pace, cater to her interests and talk about some light-hearted topics.
Holding the cotton shoes made by Xiangbei's mother, Tao Nanfeng felt the softness and comfort of the cotton and praised: "Ah, these shoes are so soft."
Xiangbei explained: "The soles of cloth shoes are made of thousand-layer soles, which are very thick. The uppers are made of two layers of cotton cloth, and cotton is stuffed in the middle, which makes them warm in winter. I heard that you always wear cotton slippers at home? So my mother specially made them a little bigger."
Tao Nanfeng didn't expect that Xiangbei would remember what she said casually. She looked up at Xiangbei and said very seriously, "Thank you!"
He waved his hand to the north, trying to make his attitude look casual: "It's nothing."
Tao Nanfeng came out from Xiangbei and walked into the office of the Infrastructure Section, with a smile on her face. Hu Huanxin looked up and saw her, and joked, "Section Chief Tao, did you pick up money? You look so happy."
Tao Nanfeng raised his hand and touched his face: "Happy? Is it obvious?"
It was rare to see Tao Nanfeng so lively, Hu Huanxin laughed: "It's very obvious, you must have something good, tell us quickly?"
The other two colleagues in the Infrastructure Department pricked up their ears: "Chief, what's the good news?"
Tao Nanfeng raised the invitation letter in his hand and said, "I will represent the Infrastructure Department to attend a professional seminar in the provincial capital. You should keep an eye on the farm and hurry up with the painting of the walls of the staff dormitory."
Hu Huanxin stood up and said, "Yes!" Then he asked with a smile, "Chief, do you want to take me with you to such a good meeting?"
Tao Nanfeng's mind moved slightly, thinking about how he and Chen Zhilu, a group of educated youth from Jiangcheng, came to the farm in September 1973. Two and a half years had passed, and only he and Chen Zhilu returned home last year. This time Xiangbei approved her and Xiao Aiyun's leave. Should he bring Hu Huanxin back to Jiangcheng as well?
Hu Huanxin was raised by his grandparents and is said to have an average relationship with his parents. He must want to go back to visit his grandparents. The old man is old, and I don’t know how long he can stay with me.
Thinking of this, Tao Nanfeng asked Hu Huanxin: "Do you want to go to the provincial capital for a meeting together?"
When Hu Huanxin heard there was a chance, he jumped over excitedly and said, "Of course I want to! I've only been to the provincial capital once in my life, and I just passed by and didn't take a serious look at it. I didn't even get to eat the famous local snack, stinky tofu. What a pity!"
Tao Nanfeng dragged Hu Huanxin out of the office and asked solemnly, "The meeting in the provincial capital will be on the 15th and 6th of the twelfth lunar month. I want to go back to Jiangcheng after the meeting. I might spend the New Year there. Do you..."
Before he finished speaking, Hu Huanxin's eyes lit up, and his round face seemed to be glowing. He knew why Tao Nanfeng pulled him out of the office, so he lowered his voice and spoke in a hurried tone.
"Go, go, go! I'll go with you! I haven't seen my grandparents for two and a half years. They are from the countryside and can't read. They can only ask someone to write a few words and send a letter to me occasionally.
I heard that my grandfather's chronic bronchitis has worsened again and he keeps coughing in the winter. I am very worried. Last time I asked Dr. Jiang for some cough medicine, and I wanted to ask someone to take it back. You...you can take me with you this time, please! ”
At the end, Hu Huanxin clasped his hands together and looked pleading, which made Tao Nanfeng's heart soften even more.
She said softly, "You go back to the office first. I'll go talk to Director Xiang. If he agrees, I'll take you to the provincial capital for the meeting."
Hu Huanxin knew the rules and nodded quickly, saying, "Okay, okay, go ask. Don't worry, I won't make it difficult for you. If the director disagrees, then forget it. Just bring some things back for me when the time comes."
Tao Nanfeng knocked on the open door of the east office and faced north again.
Xiangbei looked up at her, and seeing that she looked a little hesitant, he encouraged her gently, "What's the matter? Just tell me."
Tao Nanfeng said: "Can I bring Hu Huanxin with me to the provincial capital for the meeting this time? He is the deputy chief of the infrastructure department, and it is appropriate for him to attend such a professional seminar."
Xiangbei couldn't help but feel distressed when he saw that she looked embarrassed for taking advantage of the public. Tao Nanfeng had very good upbringing and her father was an upright man, so she interpreted such a normal business trip as taking advantage of the farm and was even cautious when asking about it.
He smiled and nodded: "You are the section chief. This professional seminar was originally sent to your infrastructure section by Engineer Jia. It is your right to decide who should go and who can go."
When Tao Nanfeng heard that there was a chance, he immediately became happy: "Really, I have the final say?"
Xiangbei bowed his head and signed the document, his words concise and powerful: "You have the final say!"
Tao Nanfeng responded with "Okay!" and walked out quickly.
Hearing the footsteps fading away, Xiangbei raised his head and stared in the direction she left.
Tao Nanfeng, the 19-year-old head of the Infrastructure Department, is praised by everyone for her bravery and magic, and she is good at everything from building roads to building houses. But why does Xiangbei feel that she is so lovable?
Understand the truth and rules, be strict with yourself and lenient with others, be kind-hearted and considerate of others. How can we protect such a good girl so that one day she can smile and confidently ask for and fight for the things she really wants?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
